Night Sky Festival

August 10-12, 2018

Celebrate darkness, view our amazing universe, learn more about space science, and enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower! All events are free and open to the public (park entrance fees apply). You do not need to be staying in a campground to attend programs in the campground amphitheater.

Friday, August 10

10 am - 3:30 pm Moraine Park Discovery Center

Family Activities & Fun Informational Booths

Pick up your Night Explorer Junior Ranger book and join us for solar observing, fun activities, and information booths. (Presenters include Ball Aerospace, NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.)

3:00 – 6:00 pm Kawuneeche Visitor Center (West Side)

Meteors 101

Come learn all about meteors, meteorites, and meteor showers and how to view them.

7:30 pm Beaver Meadows Visitor Center

NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft – From Pluto to the Ultima Thule!

Denise Henry, Outreach Manager – Ball Aerospace

New Horizons—the FIRST mission to Pluto, the FASTEST spacecraft to ever launch, and the spacecraft traveling the FARTHEST into our solar system! Ball Aerospace engineers designed Ralph, the New Horizons color camera that’s given us far-out Pluto pictures. As New Horizons zooms toward its next target, “Ultima Thule,” we can speculate whether this Kuiper Belt object is a single body, a binary pair, or perhaps multiple objects.

8:00 pm Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead

Astronomy in the Park

Observe the night sky and look for meteors with the help of a park ranger and expert volunteer astronomers. Dress warmly. Bring binoculars and a flashlight.

8:00 pm Moraine Park Discovery Center

Stories of the Night

Explore the wonders of the night sky as dusk transitions into night. Discover the amazing stories found
in the sky as you learn the constellations, identify the brightest celestial objects, and view the wonders of
the Milky Way galaxy. Dress warmly, bring binoculars, a flashlight, and your astronomy-related
questions.

8:30 pm Moraine Park Campground Amphitheater

Nine Years Exploring the Moon

Mark Robinson, Principal Investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered lunar orbit in June 2009 and has returned a wealth of new observations. Discoveries include subterranean voids, young volcanoes, recent faulting and newly formed impact craters. Learn about these discoveries and more as we look towards future exploration of the lunar surface.

8:30 pm Glacier Basin Campground Amphitheater

The NPS Night Skies Program: Working to Preserve and Restore a Universal Resource

Bob Meadows, Physical Scientist with the NPS Natural Sounds & Night Skies Division
The National Park Service Night Skies Program is approaching its 20th year of existence. Learn how this unique program started and discover the results of efforts to document conditions across the NPS system, advance science, and educate employees and the public.

8:30 pm Timber Creek Campground Amphitheater (West Side)

Half the Park is After Dark

Explore the wondrous world of Rocky after the sun sets. Learn how dark skies are important for bats, owls, and us!

9:00 – 10:30 pm Harbison Meadows Picnic Area (West Side)

Amazing Meteors

Join guest astronomer Rick Angell for an opportunity to learn about and look for the Perseid meteor showers. Telescope viewing will be available, weather dependent.

Saturday, August 11

10 am - 3:30 pm Moraine Park Discovery Center

Family Activities & Fun Informational Booths

Pick up your Night Explorer Junior Ranger book and join us for solar observing, fun activities, and information booths. (Presenters include NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.)

3:00 – 6:00 pm Kawuneeche Visitor Center (West Side)

Meteors 101

Come learn all about meteors, meteorites, and meteor showers and how to view them.

7:30 pm Beaver Meadows Visitor Center

Nine Years Exploring the Moon

Mark Robinson, Principal Investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered lunar orbit in June 2009 and has returned a wealth of new observations. Discoveries include subterranean voids, young volcanoes, recent faulting and newly formed impact craters. Learn about these discoveries and more as we look towards future exploration of the lunar surface.

8:00 pm Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead

Astronomy in the Park

Observe the night sky and look for meteors with the help of a park ranger and expert volunteer astronomers. Dress warmly. Bring binoculars and a flashlight.

8:30 pm Moraine Park Campground Amphitheater

Exploring the Hidden Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope

Alex Lockwood, Science Communications Lead for James Webb Space Telescope-NASA

NASA’s next great observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, will complement the Hubble Space Telescope but see things in a whole new light: infrared light that is! This HUGE (21 foot) telescope will unfold in space and take pictures of distant planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies, to give us a more complete picture of how our Universe works. We will witness stars being born and see some of the earliest things created in the Universe. Learn about this telescope, its amazing engineering, and the incredible scientific discoveries it will bring to humanity.


8:30 pm Glacier Basin Campground Amphitheater

Night Sky Photography Workshop

Stan Honda, Photographer

Don’t put your camera away when the sun sets! Learn how to photograph the stars over Rocky Mountain NP in this hands-on workshop. Photographer Stan Honda will talk about his techniques and how to shoot the night sky. Bring a camera and a tripod to get some celestial images.

8:30 pm Timber Creek Campground Amphitheater (West Side)

National Parks after Dark

Enjoy this series of short films that highlight the beautiful night skies found in national parks and what the national park service is doing to protect and enjoy them.

9:00 – 10:30 pm Harbison Meadow Picnic Area (West Side)

Amazing Meteors

Join guest astronomer Rick Angell for an opportunity to learn about and look for the Perseid meteor showers. Telescope viewing will be available, weather dependent.

Sunday, August 12

10:00 am – 3:30 pm Moraine Park Discovery Center

Family Activities & Fun Informational Booths

Pick up your Night Explorer Junior Ranger book and join us for solar observing, fun activities, and information booths. (Presenters include NASA's Solar System Exploration Division, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.)

3:00 – 6:00 pm Kawuneeche Visitor Center (West Side)

Meteors 101

Come learn all about meteors, meteorites, and meteor showers and how to view them.

8:00 pm Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead

Astronomy in the Park

Observe the night sky and look for meteors with the help of a park ranger and expert volunteer astronomers. Dress warmly. Bring binoculars and a flashlight.

8:30 pm Moraine Park Campground Amphitheater

From Landscapes to Deep Space

Zolt Levay, Science Visuals Developer at the Space Telescope Science Institute

Zolt Levay will share his experiences producing images of the deep universe with the Hubble Space Telescope as well as photographing more familiar landscapes and the night sky in dramatic locations in the National Parks. Come discover the relationships between these different views of nature.

8:30 pm Glacier Basin Campground Amphitheater

Exploring the Hidden Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope

Alex Lockwood, Science Communications Lead for James Webb Space Telescope-NASA

NASA’s next great observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, will complement the Hubble Space Telescope but see things in a whole new light: infrared light that is! This HUGE (21 foot) telescope will unfold in space and take pictures of distant planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies, to give us a more complete picture of how our Universe works. We will witness stars being born and see some of the earliest things created in the Universe. Learn about this telescope, its amazing engineering, and the incredible scientific discoveries it will bring to humanity.

9:00 – 10:30 pm Harbison Meadow Picnic Area (West Side)

Amazing Meteors

Join guest astronomer Rick Angell for an opportunity to learn about and look for the Perseid meteor showers. Telescope viewing will be available, weather dependent.




 

Last updated: August 8, 2018

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1000 US Hwy 36
Estes Park, CO 80517

Phone:

970 586-1206
The Information Office is open year-round: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily in summer; 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Mondays - Fridays and 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Saturdays - Sundays in winter. Recorded Trail Ridge Road status: (970) 586-1222.

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